This could reverse the damage and the memory of the Carlos Beltran trade.
I love Hunter Pence, but I could be overwhelmed by one of the two pitchers -- Jameson Taillon or Nick Kingham and OF Josh Bell. But maybe I'm just easily overwhelmed.
If the Pirates are foolish enough to part with two top prospects to nail down a playoff berth let them do it. The fact that Pence is a rental hurts the price, maybe knocking it down to just one prospect.
Pence has to get some more consistency and with his unorthodox, unconventional swing mechanics, that may not be possible. He is however, too great a clubhouse guy to be on the move so much. Houston to Philly to Frisco to ???? Some things are not meant to make sense. This may be one of them.
They may have to act soon on a deal like this however and may not be out of it by enough to risk the wrath of fans by waving the white flag prematurely. A wipe out in one or both of the next two series might force their hand and tip the balance from buyers to sellers.
from CBSSports.com
Pirates, others like Pence but he's not available --- not yet, anyway - CBSSports.com:
At least the Pirates have interest in Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, and probably several other teams would, too. But unless something changes, he's staying in San Francisco.
The Pirates, who are in playoff position after a superb first half, seek right field help -- as one scout put it, "they have a right field problem" -- and also have interest in Alex Rios of the White Sox, as was reported Friday. The overall outfield market is pretty thin, though, especially if Pence stays put.
'via Blog this'
from mlb.com Prospect Watch:
Scouting Grades* (present/future): Fastball: 6/7 | Curveball: 4/6 | Changeup: 4/6 | Control: 4/5 | Overall: 5/6
Pirates fans who are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the one-two punch of Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon shouldn't have to wait too much longer. The big right-hander who came from the Texas high school ranks finished the season in Double-A, with three outstanding starts to finish the year. His fastball is a plus pitch and he'll touch 96-97 mph with it. Taillon's secondary stuff is still developing, but both his breaking ball and offspeed offering have the chance to be above-average pitches. He gained more confidence in his curve as the year went on and he showed better feel for his changeup as well. Taillon is still growing into his body and tweaking his delivery, leading to some overall command issues, though that shouldn't be a long-term concern. Another year of experience under his belt might be all he needs to be ready for Pittsburgh.
Scouting Grades* (present/future): Fastball: 6/6 | Curveball: 4/6 | Changeup: 4/6 | Control: 5/6 | Overall: 4/6 Since signing him with an over-slot deal in 2010, the Pirates didn't hesitate to challenge Kingham a bit, sending him to the New York-Penn League for his debut, largely against much older competition. Then he spent the 2012 season in full-season ball at age 20 and while his overall numbers were mixed, he finished very strongly, with a 1.68 ERA over his final nine starts. The big right-hander could have three above-average-or-better pitches and above-average command when all is said and done. Kingham will touch 95 mph with his fastball, with plenty of movement. His changeup has deceptive sink, and it's been his best secondary offering in the past. His curve may have caught up, and the power breaking ball might be just as good down the road. The Pirates were very aggressive in going after high-ceiling high school arms in the past few Drafts and Kingham has the chance to be one of the best from that effort.
Scouting Grades* (present/future): Hit: 3/6 | Power: 4/6 | Run: 5/5 | Arm: 5/6 | Field: 4/6 | Overall: 4/6
The excitement of signing Bell away from what appeared to be an unbreakable commitment to the University of Texas came to a crashing halt when he tore his left meniscus just 15 games into his professional career. With youth and a very advanced bat on his side, he should be able to get going again, assuming health. Bell is a switch-hitter with a natural ability to hit from both sides of the plate. He should hit for average and above-average power when all is said and done, the kind of bat that will fit nicely into the middle of the lineup. Bell was settling into right field as a pro before the injury, and he has the tools to be an above-average defender with a strong arm, not to mention the offensive tools, to profile well there.
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